The use of qualitative methods in teaching english content: Introduction

Chapter II. Designing a qualitative research for evaluation of english for academic purposes activity in teacher education
2.1. Example of a qualitative method in teaching English
Competence-based teacher education provides new knowledge within the knowledge triangle of education, research and innovation. The successful development of teachers’ communicative competence requires English for Academic Purposes activity in teacher education to be evaluated. Aim of the following paper is to identify the qualitative research design to examine efficiency of English for Academic Purposes activity in teacher education. The qualitative evaluation research is aimed at the evaluation of current practice (Flick, 2004a) in complex and constantly self-regenerating environments. Evaluation of current practice is oriented to check the effectiveness, efficiency and goal-attainment of programmes, measures, models and laws, of pedagogic interventions and organizational changes. The paradigm in the development of qualitative evaluation research has shifted from the assessment of results and goals with reference to the relevant environment to the qualitative process-oriented procedure.
Hence, the key components of the qualitative evaluation research design are depicted in Figure 1 by the author of the present contribution. The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 introduces the theoretical framework on the qualitative evaluation research. Research design is revealed in Section 3. The associated empirical results are presented and interpreted in Section 4. Finally, some concluding remarks and directions of further research are elaborated in Section 5. The present qualitative evaluation research is based on the interpretative research paradigm. The core of this paradigm is human experience, people’s mutual everyday interaction that tends to understand the subjectivity of human experience (Lūka, 2007). The researcher’s close contact and interaction with the people involved in the study is an advantage in obtaining the research results (Lūka, 2007). Researcher is an interpreter. On the one hand, the interpretative research paradigm is determined by the researcher’s practical interests in English for Academic Purposes activity as the development of the system of external and internal perspectives. On the other hand, the given paradigm corresponds to the social constructivism theory, symbolic interactionism theory and action and activity theories (Lūka, 2007) as well as to the nature of humanistic pedagogy because it creates an environment for the individual development to promote his/her potential. The interpretative paradigm is oriented towards one’s conscious activity . It is aimed at understanding people’s activity: how a certain activity is exposed in a certain environment, time, conditions, i.e., how it is exposed in a definite socio-cultural context. Thus, it is future-oriented (Lūk The model of the qualitative evaluation research indicates how the steps of the process are related following a logical chain: exploration of the context → description of the practice → generalization of the model.
The basic directions of the development of the qualitative evaluation research designed by the author of the present research are determined as following: - from diagnostic evaluation in Phase 1 through formative evaluation in Phase 2 to summative evaluation in Phase 3, - from context analysis in Phase 1 through description of the practice in Phase 2 to generalization of the model in Phase 3, - from interviews in Phase 1 through surveys in Phase 2 to interviews in Phase 3, - from structuring content analysis in Phase 1 through statistical analysis in Phase 2 to summarizing content analysis in Phase 3 and - from self-evaluation in Phase 1 through internal evaluation in Phase 2 to external evaluation in Phase 3. The phase of exploration of the context analysis of the qualitative evaluation research is aimed at determining the present situation of English for Academic Purposes activity in promoting the students’ motivation and their readiness to implement the joint activity. The description of the practice analyzes differences in the level of features researched.
The phase of generalization of the model determines whether the implementation of English for Academic Purposes activity is efficient for the development of students’ communicative competence. The phase of generalization of the model shows directions of further research, too. Evaluation of different levels provides a feedback and interaction among evaluators (Lūka, 2007). The aims of evaluation determined by Hahele (Hahele, 2006) change from diagnostic evaluation in Phase 1 to summative evaluation in Phase 3 through formative evaluation in Phase 2. Diagnostic evaluation is carried out at the course beginning to obtain information on students’ knowledge and skills (Hahele, 2006). Then, formative evaluation is organized in the middle of the course to check students’ gradual educational progress (Hahele, 2006). And, finally, summative evaluation at the course end reveals whether the students have achieved their aims and could be pointed to the next (a higher) educational level.
The type of evaluation proceeds from self-evaluation in Phase 1 to external evaluation in Phase 3 through internal evaluation in Phase 2. Self-evaluation is defined as the students’ process to think, analyze and plan their learning in accordance with criteria worked out together with the educator that results in a report called self-evaluation in a written form (Hahele, 2006). Internal evaluation is determined as the process when the educator and students evaluate the student’s work in accordance with the joint criteria as well as students and the management of the educational establishment evaluate the educator’s work that results in a report called internal evaluation in a written form (Hahele, 2006). External evaluation is identified as the process by external experts to evaluate the work of educators, students and the management of the educational establishment in accordance with certain criteria that results in a report called external evaluation in a written form.
The group of data obtaining methods are only presented in the present part of the contribution. Three properly fitted methods are found to be sufficient for a good research. Methods of data obtaining in the present research first include the research context analysis to give an insight into successful possibilities of realization, causal relationship and conditions. Then, observation of students’ social and individual differences is included as an essential method in human pedagogy. And, finally, evaluation provides comprehensive results of the research. Hence, methods of data obtaining move from the context analysis in Phase 1 through observation in Phase 2 to evaluation in Phase 3. Implementation of mixed methods for data obtaining provides the researcher with wide scope of data to study a research question in a more detailed way (Hunter, Brewer, 2003). In order to measure the phenomena the use of mixed methods is provided by different forms of interview, participant observation and documents analysis.
. The research purpose and questions The present research was conducted during the implementation of English for Academic Purposes activity in the English for Academic Purposes course within the master programmes School Management, Pedagogy and Music Pedagogy of Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy in Latvia in 2008-2009 to examine efficiency of English for Academic Purposes activity for the development of students’ communicative competence in order to promote the quality of studies. Its topicality is determined by ever-increasing flow of information in which an important role is laid to communicative competence to get information and gain experience. The research question is as following: has English for Academic Purposes activity been efficient to promote the development of the students’ communicative competence?
The respondents involve seven researchers, four language educators and 75 first year master students of Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy in the 2008/2009 study year, namely, Validity and reliability of the results generalization Involvement of other researchers into the study international co-operation use of mixed methods data validity 6 - 30 students of the professional master’s study programme School Management, - 25 students of the professional master’s study programme Pedagogy and - 25 students of the professional master’s study programme Music Pedagogy.
The sample with different cultural backgrounds and diverse educational approaches was selected. 60 of the student teachers had certain expectations from the master programmes and, consequently, from the English for Academic Purposes course. The expectations were demonstrated in the answer to the question why they had chosen this programme. The students’ communicative competence in English for Academic Purposes in the studies was one of the answers. The two-year master studies are aimed at facilitating students’ research success, supporting preparation for international Ph.D. programmes in the European Union, further specializing in the chosen field and learning in a simulated environment. The aim of the English for Academic Purposes course in the two-year masters’ programmes is to improve student teachers’ communicative competence in English for Academic Purposes for the participation in international research activities. The implementation of English studies for academic purposes gradually proceeds from teaching in Phase 1 to learning in Phase 3 through peer-learning in Phase 2 as depicted in Figure 1.17 by the author of the present research. Hence, each phase of English studies for academic purposes is separated from the previous one, and the following phase is based on the previous one.
The focus from an input based teaching and learning process has changed to an outcome based process. Hence, students’ communicative competence is the outcome criterion of English for Academic Purposes activity. Evaluation of students’ communicative competence is defined as the evaluation with the focus not on the evaluation of the study results but with the focus on the evaluation of the inter-connections between the activity and its results in the united system of criteria that comprises self-evaluation, internal evaluation and external evaluation.
An explorative research has been used in the research. The explorative research has been aimed at the development of general statements which can be tested for generality in following studies with different people in differerent times (Mayring, 2007). The study consisted of the following stages: - exploration of the contexts in student teachers’ communicative competence in English for Academic Purposes in Latvia through thorough analysis of the documents, - analysis of the students’ feedback regarding their needs, - data processing, analysis and data interpretation and - analysis of the results and elaboration of directions of further research. Data validity in the present research has been provided by the method triangulation and
the data triangulation. Further on, the theoretical model of the qualitative evaluation research design described in Part 2 of the present contribution is used to examine efficiency of English for Academic Purposes activity for the improvement of students’ communicative competence. 4. Findings of the Research 4.1 Analysis of the Students’ Self-Evaluation of the Research Results In order to find out how each student’s communicative competence changed after the implementation of English for Academic Purposes activity, the analysis of the students’ selfevaluation of the communicative competence comprised the structured interviews. The structured interviews included three questions as following: - What is your attitude to English for Academic Purposes activity? - What have you learned within English for Academic Purposes activity?
How can you apply this knowledge in your academic field? The aim of the interviews was to reveal the students’ view on English for Academic Purposes activity for the development of students’ communicative competence. For example, Student F2 thanks for giving a chance to participate in English for Academic Purposes activity: “I learned a lot from the language course. It is very useful in our daily life. From this course I learned how to make a presentation better, and etc.” Student F2 confirms that the learning outcomes, namely, the student’s communicative competence, were enriched: “I can communicate with others more confidently.” Comparing the answers of those 10 students in the sample, summarizing content analysis (Mayring, 2004) of the structured interviews reveals the students’ positive attitude in the development of their communicative competence. That shows that environment influences the studies and the learning outcomes.